Vatican: IAEA must favour an “ethical interaction of consciences and minds”
Sept 20, 2012: Intervention by the Holy See at the 56th session of the General Conference
of the IAEA
Since 1957, on the occasion of the General Conference of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Permanent Mission of the Holy See in Vienna organizes
a Mass for the Ambassadors and Delegates accredited to international organizations
based in this city and the high officials of the Agency. This year, the celebration
of the Eucharist was held on September 15, by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary
for Relations with States, and Head of Delegation to the 56th Session of the General
Conference of the IAEA, which is being held in Vienna from 17 to 21 September 2012.
Here below the speech made by Archbishop Mamberti the afternoon of Monday,
September 17:
DRAFT STATEMENT OF THE HOLY SEE TO THE 56TH GENERAL CONFERENCE
OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
AS DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY
ARCHBISHOP DOMINIQUE MAMBERTI,
SECRETARY FOR THE HOLY SEE’S RELATIONS WITH
STATES
Vienna 17 September 2012
Mr. President!
1. I
have the honour of conveying to you, Mr. President, to the Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency, Dr. Yukiya Amano, and to all the distinguished
participants in this 56th General Conference of the IAEA the best wishes and cordial
greetings of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI who, on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary
of the IAEA, said: “[T]he commitment to encourage non-proliferation of nuclear arms,
to promote a progressive and agreed upon nuclear disarmament and to support the use
of peaceful and safe nuclear technology for authentic development, respecting the
environment and ever mindful of the most disadvantaged populations, is always more
present and urgent” (cf. Angelus Address of July 29, 2007).
2. In a world
that is becoming progressively and pervasively globalized “the risk is that the de
facto interdependence of people and nations is not matched by ethical interaction
of consciences and minds that would give rise to truly human development” (Pope Benedict
XVI Encyclical Letter Caritas in veritate, no. 9).
This risk becomes all the
more pronounced when considering also the so-called “nuclear renaissance” across the
globe and its numerous related challenges in the connection between nuclear disarmament
and non-proliferation; the growth in demand for energy; the threats posed by nuclear
terrorism and the nuclear black market; the call for nuclear safety and security,
etc.. These challenges will be seriously addressed only by cultivating a culture of
peace founded upon the primacy of law and the respect for human life.
In
this context, the IAEA can and must contribute to favouring an “ethical interaction
of consciences and minds” (ibid.), essential in order to respond to those challenges
and to promote a truly integral human development, which, for the Holy See, must be
“of universal range, in dialogue between knowledge and praxis” (cfr. ibid., no. 4).
Mister President!
3. We all know the strong interlinkages between
nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation: they are interdependent and mutually
reinforcing and their transparent and responsible implementation represents one of
the principal instruments not only in the fight against nuclear terrorism, but also
in the concrete realization of a culture of life and of peace capable of promoting
in an effective way the integral development of peoples. In this perspective the international
community should show an effective and visible expression of intent to construct and
strengthen a global legal basis for the systematic elimination of all nuclear weapons.
It can no longer be considered morally sufficient to draw down the stocks of superfluous
nuclear weapons while modernizing nuclear arsenals and investing vast sums to ensure
their future production and maintenance. For these reasons, the Holy See regards the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation
regime and will continue to offer its own contribution to the preparation of fertile
ground so that the IX Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons, scheduled for 2015, will produce consistent and encouraging results
not only for strengthening the Treaty itself, but also for making it a more effective
instrument in responding to the new challenges that are continually emerging on the
nuclear horizon.
Mister President!
4. Global security must not rely
on nuclear weapons. The Holy See considers the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
(CTBT) an important tool to achieve this aim, without mentioning its potential civil
and scientific application through its International Monitoring System. I am honoured
to have the name of the Holy See, as well my own name, on the list of countries that
support the Ministerial Statement of the VI CTBT Ministerial Conference. The Holy
See is convinced that, in working together, the signature, ratification and entry
into force of the Treaty will represent a great leap forward for the future of humanity,
as well as for the protection of the earth and environment entrusted to our care by
the Creator.
Also in this regard, the ratification on the part of all States,
in particular nuclear-weapon States, of the respective Protocols to the Nuclear-Weapon-Free
Zones Treaties is of paramount importance. The Holy See restates its strong support
for the efforts to establish such a zone in the Middle East and remains hopeful for
the discussions that will take place on this topic in Finland. Nuclear-Weapon-Free
Zones (NWFZ) are the best example of trust, confidence and affirmation that peace
and security are possible without possessing nuclear weapons.
5. Humanity
deserves no less than the full co-operation of all States in this important matter.
Every step on the non-proliferation and disarmament agenda must be built on the principles
of the preeminent and inherent value of human dignity and the centrality of the human
person, which constitute the basis of international humanitarian law. Last May, on
the occasion of the First Preparatory Committee for the 2015 Review Conference of
the Parties to the NPT, the Holy See was a co-sponsor of the Joint Statement on the
Humanitarian Dimension of Nuclear Disarmament – one of the principal novelties that
emerged during that Meeting. Nuclear weapons have the destructive capacity to pose
a threat to the survival of humanity and as long as they continue to exist the threat
to humanity will remain. Moreover, nuclear weapons are useless in addressing current
challenges such as poverty, health, climate change, terrorism or transnational crime.
The only way to guarantee that these weapons will not be used again is through their
total, irreversible and verifiable elimination, under international control. In this,
the IAEA has a central role to play.
Mr. President,
6. Since its
foundation, the International Atomic Energy Agency remains an irreplaceable point
of reference for international co-operation in the use of nuclear technology for peaceful
purposes and for integral human development. In this regard, the Holy See welcomes
Fiji, San Marino and Trinidad and Tobago as new Member States of the IAEA’s family.
An
important issue affecting not only the IAEA family, but the human family at large,
is the topic of nuclear safety. The Holy See closely follows the progress made in
the implementation of the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety and commends the IAEA
on its implementation. What transpired at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station
quickly revealed that a local nuclear crisis is indeed a global problem. It also revealed
that the world is exposed to real and systemic risks, and not just hypothetical ones,
with incalculable costs and the necessity of developing an international political
coordination the likes of which have never been seen, thus raising many questions.
Energy security and nuclear security require the adoption of appropriate
technical and legal measures, as well as action and responses at the cultural and
ethical level. In the short term, technical and legal measures are necessary for the
protection of nuclear material and sites and the prevention of acts of nuclear terrorism,
whose possible devastating effects are truly difficult to imagine. In the long-term,
prevention measures are called for, measures that penetrate to the deepest cultural
and social roots through, for example, programs of formation for the diffusion of
a “culture of safety and security” both in the nuclear sector and in the public conscience
in general. A special role must be reserved for codes of conduct for human resources
which, in the nuclear sector, must always be conscious of the possible effects of
their activity. Security depends upon the State, but above all on the sense of responsibility
of each person.
Mister President!
7. The Technical Cooperation Programme
(TCP) of the Agency is one of the principal instruments for transferring nuclear science
and technology to Member States in order to promote social, economic and integral
development. Its initiatives, when tailored to the needs of the recipient States and
their partners in the context of national priorities, help to combat poverty and can
thus contribute to a more peaceful solution of the serious problems facing humanity.
In this regard, the Holy See is participating in this year’s Scientific
Forum dedicated to the topic “Food for the Future: Meeting the Challenges with Nuclear
Applications”. This theme highlights the pressing need of fighting the hunger and
malnutrition of so many members of the human family. The Holy See obviously has no
technical solutions to offer. Nevertheless, it is of the opinion that bio– and nuclear-
technologies cannot be evaluated solely on the basis of immediate economic interests.
They must be submitted beforehand to rigorous scientific and ethical examination,
in order to prevent them from becoming harmful for human health and the future of
our planet.
8. Also in the context of the TCP, I wish to mention the particular
role of radio-nuclides used in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant diseases.
Radiation therapy is one of the fundamental treatments of cancer, and more than 50%
of the patients diagnosed with this disease would benefit from that kind of therapy
either applied alone or in conjunction with surgery and chemotherapy. Yet, in the
developing world, more than half of the number of patients suffering from cancer will
not have access to radiotherapy due to the lack of appropriate equipment and sufficiently
trained staff with expertise in clinical and medical physics. The Holy See appreciates
the work and efforts of the IAEA and its partners in the planning and furthering of
cancer-control programmes and encourages the IAEA to continue to pursue and strengthen
these eminently important activities. The Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT),
which aims at increasing its capacity to assist Member States in the tremendous task
of combating cancer and creating regional centres of excellence for radiotherapy,
deserves honourable mention.
9. Allow me to conclude, Mr. President, with
the following: by considering nuclear policies from the perspective of the “integral
development of the human person” (Declaration on the Right to Development, 1986, pp
5), which implies not only material development but, more importantly, the cultural
and moral development of every person and all peoples, the Holy See views, and invites
others to view, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s contribution to “peace, health
and prosperity”.